2026 Program

• CORS Poster Winner: “Patient Specific Virtual Reality for Spine Surgery Education”
  Yuyang (Tony) Jiao (Presenter), Ran Ankory, Raj Kumar Ranabhat, Tayler Declan Ross, Joel Alan Finkelstein, Michael Hardisty

• Education Poster Winner: “Hidden Violence: Gender Disparities, Delayed Disclosures, and Poor Clinical Outcomes among Orthopaedic Trauma Patients with Lived Experience of Intimate Partner Violence ”
  Natalie Fleming (Presenter), Kiara Pannozzo, Sofia Bzovsky, Paula McKay, Marc Gonsalves, Brad Petrisor, Jamal Al-Asiri, Bill Ristevski, Dale Williams, Jodi Gallant, Kaitlyn Pusztai, Sarah MacRae, Sara Renaud, Kim Madden, Kim Irish, Anthony Adili, Giuseppe Pasquale Valente, Jaydeep Moro, Moin Khan, Vickas Khanna, Sheila Sprague

• Foot & Ankle Poster Winner: “The Indirect Correction of Intermetatarsal Angle by First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis for Hallux Valgus”
  David Heikoop (Presenter), Abdel-Rahman Lawendy, David William Sanders, Mark Macleod, Christopher Del Balso
• Hand & Wrist Poster Winner: “Outcomes of the Induced Membrane (Masquelet) Technique in the Reconstruction of Bone Defects in the Hand and Upper Extremity: A Case Series”
  Thomas Milazzo, Jonathan Persitz, Barbara Jemec, Andrea HW Chan, Heather Baltzer, Ryan Augustine Paul (Presenter), Kevin J. Zuo

• Hip & Knee Poster Winner: “Feasibility, Clinical Outcome, and Patient-Pathway Impact of Early Identification and Optimization of Preoperative Anemia in Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial”
  Salah Hammouche (Presenter), Meghan Dufresne, Allan Tinmouth, Dean Fergusson, Simon Garceau, Paul-Edgar Beaule, George Grammatopoulos

• Paediatrics Poster Winner: “Canadian Care Pathway Guideline Development for the Screening and Surveillance of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip”
  Samantha Tang, Maneeta Janjua (Presenter), Alyssa Robinson, Jacqueline Li, Kishore Mulpuri, Sukhdeep Kaur Dulai, Emily K. Schaeffer

• Shoulder & Elbow Poster Winner: “Clinical Outcomes and Complications of Unicortical Intramedullary Button Fixation for Distal Biceps Tendon Repair: A Retrospective Case Series”
  Makena Jean Mbogori (Presenter), Raelee Phillips, Teresa Li, Michael Lapner, Robert Chan, Armin Badre

• Sports Poster Winner: “Survival Through the Ages – Revision and Contralateral Reconstruction Rates Following Primary ACL Reconstruction Over 20 Years”
  Kyle Martin (Presenter), Anne Marie Fenstad, Søren Vindfeld, Ann Kristin Hansen, Eivind Inderhaug

• Spine Poster Winner: “Biomechanical Impact of Splint Rods in Posterior Cervicothoracic Fixation: A Finite Element Analysis”
  Jaskaran Singh, Ian Polyzois, Sara Gustafson, Trevor C Gascoyne (Presenter), Michael James Goytan

• Trauma Poster Winner: “Impact of Fracture Type on Recovery Timeline Following Surgically Treated Upper Extremity Injuries”
  Ethan Sanders (Presenter), Kim Rondeau, Jessica Duong, Prism Schneider, Calgary Orthopaedic Resident Research Group (CORRG)

• Tumour Poster Winner: “Development of a Semantic Search-Based Educational Chatbot for Patients with Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcom”
  Doris Braunstein, Robert Koucheki (Presenter), Aaron Michael Gazendam, Kim Tsoi, Jay S. Wunder, Peter Ferguson

At the end of this conference, participants will be able to:

1. Integrate current clinical evidence, technological advances – including AI – and innovation into the diagnosis, management, and optimization of care for common orthopaedic conditions across subspecialties.
2. Evaluate and apply advances in basic science research in musculoskeletal health and disease to support evidence‑based orthopaedic care.
3. Develop patient-centered care strategies that balance risks and benefits, incorporate shared decision-making, and align treatment choices with patient values and expectations.
4. Collaborate and communicate effectively with peers, interdisciplinary teams, and health system partners, strengthening professional relationships and fostering knowledge exchange and mentorship at a national and international level.
5. Critically appraise emerging orthopaedic products, equipment, and services, understanding their clinical applications, limitations, and potential implications for practice.
6. Compare global approaches to orthopaedic care delivery, identifying best practices, and system-level innovations that may inform improvements within one’s own clinical or practice context.
7. Recognize and address issues related to physician wellbeing, resilience, and sustainability of practice, while applying quality improvement principles to identify and implement strategies that mitigate burnout and promote professional fulfillment within orthopaedic surgery.

The development of educational content for the Annual Meeting is governed by the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities established by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. This Standard provides a rigorous framework to ensure that all accredited continuing professional development (CPD) activities are designed and delivered with integrity, scientific validity, and independence from commercial influence. By adhering to these principles, the planning committee promotes transparency, equitable faculty engagement, and the delivery of high-quality, evidence-informed education that meets the diverse needs of healthcare professionals.

Consistent with the COA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, the Annual Meeting program aims to demonstrate an understanding of how these principles impact orthopaedic training, workforce development, patient access, and clinical outcomes. Educational activities further seek to identify opportunities to advance equity within the profession and promote inclusive excellence across orthopaedic practice.

The COA is committed to offering quality accredited programming within a safe and respectful learning environment. Presentation format, scheduling, and inclusion in the final program are determined at the Association’s discretion. All activities will comply with applicable federal and provincial public health directives in effect at the time of the meeting.

• Aaron Bois: Research Grant: McCaig Institute for Bone & Joint Health, Uni of Calgary ; Education/scientific relationship: Editor of the Textbook “The Shoulder” (Elsevier)
• Bernard Burgesson: None.
• Isabelle Catelas: None.
• Gurpreet Dhaliwal: None.
• Sukhdeep Dulai: Honorarium from the University of Manitoba; Board member of the COA & COF, Advisory board for the Arthritis Society of Canada; Research grants from CIHR, COF, and Arthritis Society of Canada; Institutional education grant from Orthopaediatrics 
• Robert Gill: None.
• Eva Gusnowski: Consultant work for medical devices – Synthes, ConMed
• Steve Mann: Membership on advisory board or speakers’ bureau – Stryker
• Matthew Menon: Education consultant for Stryker Canada
• Christopher Nielsen: Speakers bureau – J&J Medtech
• Laura Sims: None.
• Kevin Smit: Speaker for Highridge; Institutional research support from Highridge, Medtronics, and Ascendis
• Nicholas Smith: Memorial University of Newfoundland – Newfoundland and Labrador Health Research fund, $100,000 ; Unrestricted research fund with Stryker
  
• Mark Sommerfeldt: Educational consultant for Arthrex
• Allison Tucker: None.
• David Wilson: None.

This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the Canadian Orthopaedic Association. You may claim a maximum of 19.5 hours (credits are automatically calculated). Through an agreement between the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at https://edhub.ama-assn.org/pages/applications.

Main CanMEDS Roles applied to the Annual Meeting: Medical Expert, Collaborator, Leader, and Scholar.